


The Cycle Continues

by technetium43



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Avatar Cycle, Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Crying, Denial, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Loss, POV Katara (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 18:53:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25740133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/technetium43/pseuds/technetium43
Summary: The story of how Katara loses Aang, and how the world gets a little dimmer.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 91





	The Cycle Continues

The first signs that something was wrong with Aang were easy to ignore. His breathing, which was normally peaceful as he slept, would turn ragged and pained as if he was having a bad dream. Katara shook him awake the first few times she noticed it, and asked him if anything was wrong. He would shake his head and give her a tired grin, then quickly fall back asleep.

_Stuff like this is normal. We’re not teenagers anymore._ She would tell herself. _I just hope he doesn’t take up snoring._

He started sleeping longer and more often, yet the bags under his eyes remained. If anything, they got worse. She explained that away too. He was the Avatar, after all, and with how much work he did, it made sense for him to be tired. 

After walking into their bedroom one day in the middle of the afternoon and finding him passed out on top of the sheets, she sat down next to him gently and poked his side.

He opened his eyes slowly and reluctantly. “Hi, sweetie.”

“Hey. Are you feeling okay?”

“Just tired. The council meeting today was more of an organized brawl than anything constructive. Without Sokka there, it ends up like that a lot of the time.”

Her brother had left his position of chairman of the council some years back to take over as chieftain of the Southern Water Tribe. His replacement ended up being hotheaded and difficult to work with, or in Toph’s eloquent words, “A pain in the ass.”

“I’m sorry.” Katara smiled down at him. 

“It’s not your fault.”

“I know, but I wish there was something I can do.”

“You do more than enough.”

Katara paused. “I already asked this, but how are you feeling? I’m asking my husband, not the Avatar.”

“I feel fine.” Aang sighed. “I just had a long day. Can you wake me up when it’s time to eat?”

“Sure.” Katara leaned over to give him a quick kiss. “Have a good rest, okay?”

Aang nodded, and closed his eyes again.

_Why do I feel so worried? He told me himself. He just had a long day._

So, she let it drop. If he said that he was okay, she believed him. She had no reason not to. At least, not until her son Tenzin came running in with him in his arms one evening a few weeks later.

“What’s wrong?” Her heart dropped.

“We were meditating together for the night, and he just slumped forward! I tried waking him up, but it didn’t work. I don’t know what happened!”

Katara could see her son about to lose it, and forced herself to prioritize him and her husband over the powerlessness she was feeling. “It’s going to be okay, Tenzin. Set him on the table. Yes, right there.”

She opened the pouch of water she kept at her side and bent it around her hands. Moving them around her husband’s limp body, she searched for whatever was wrong with him. She desperately wanted it to be a simple excuse, like fatigue or an easily treatable illness.

“He didn’t seem off to you before he fell?”

“No.” Tenzin answered, fear in his eyes. “Well, I suppose he was quieter than usual. If anything, he just seemed worn out.”

_Worn out. That’s all he ever seems like lately._

“Okay. It’s okay.” Katara said in a steady voice. “I’ll fix him.”

She pinpointed his chest as the area of most concern and had Tenzin pull back his robes before she spread the bubble of water over it. Minutes went by. Tenzin was getting more frantic, and Katara was finding it hard to not lose control herself when he finally woke up.

“What’s going on?” He hacked a cough.

_Thank goodness._ Katara’s heartbeat slowed a bit.

“You passed out while we were meditating!” Tenzin exclaimed. The stoic exterior that he tried to put forward had been shattered at the prospect of anything happening to his father. “Have you felt sick as of late? Something has to be wrong!”

“I’m fine, Tenzin.” Aang frowned, and started to sit up.

“Hold on.” Katara murmured, slowly pushing him back down. “I don’t want you getting up too fast. Something isn’t right with you.”

“I’m just exhausted.” Aang attempted to explain. “I mean, you don’t see any problems with me with your waterbending, do you?”

_No. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t something wrong with you. I may be the best healer in the world, but there are still things I don’t know how to treat._

“I don’t.” Katara admitted. “But you being tired enough to pass out worries me. You sleep more than ever.”

“Hey, I’m an old man, give me a break.” Aang grinned at her. “We can’t all stay as youthful as you, sweetie.”

Katara blushed, and Aang began to sit up again. She pushed him back down once more. “Don’t try to flatter me into letting you get away. I want to check you again.”

Aang waited patiently as Katara used her waterbending to search for an issue. Tenzin watched on with obvious concern. When she told them that she couldn’t find anything serious, both of the men looked relieved. But she wasn't.

_Something is wrong with him. I’m sure of it now. And I have to figure out what it is before I lose him. I can’t lose him._

The next day, Katara started reading through the books on strange illnesses in the library on Air Temple Island. She’d read most of them before or already knew the information inside, but some small part of her hoped she would find the answers she was looking for in them. Weeks went by, and she didn’t.

Aang didn’t seem like he was getting better. One morning, he toppled over after losing his balance getting out of bed. Another time, he fell asleep into his soup at the dinner table. Bumi, who had been visiting for a few days, found that particularly hilarious. Tenzin had gotten angry at him for laughing, and what ended up waking Aang back up was the volume of the ensuing argument.

Katara’s heart grew heavy with dread. Every moment that she spent with Aang felt finite. She immersed herself in more research, this time going down the path of past Avatars.

Detailed medical records weren’t one of the things that had been of much importance in the past, even for the Avatar, arguably the most important person in the world.

Correspondence from the fire sages told her that Roku had suffered from no similar health issues. That made sense, as Aang had already told her how Roku had met his end.

Avatar Kyoshi had lived to be over two-hundred years old, and by all accounts was the image of strength. Katara couldn’t find anything about her suffering from what was happening to Aang.

When she got to Kuruk, she was hopeful. The last water Avatar had died at the young age of thirty-three, and she suspected that it could be from something like what was happening to Aang. However, the Northern Water Tribe historians disagreed with her theory, saying that a hedonistic lifestyle combined with the grief of losing his wife were what had taken Kuruk.

Most of the finer details of Yangchen’s life were lost to the world, much like all the Avatars before her. By the time she had ascertained this and decided that her research had gotten her nowhere, another few weeks had gone by.

Aang was breathing more heavily than usual in his sleep one night, and Katara shook him awake. “Aang, sweetie. Wake up.”

“Huh? What?”

“You sounded like you had a badgerfrog in your throat.”

“Oh. Sorry. Was I keeping you up?” Aang asked apologetically.

“No. Well, yes. But I don’t mind about that. I’m really worried about you.”

Aang’s face got more serious, and he pushed himself up against his pillows. “Why? You don’t need to be. I’m just having a rough time.”

Katara frowned. “Passing out and falling down at random times doesn’t really make me think that’s all it is.”

“Well, you might be right.” Aang nodded. “But I can’t afford to slow down. Things are more tense than ever, what with the triads growing and the Earth King’s passing.”

“Things are always tense.” Katara countered. “What if something happened to you while you were in a dangerous situation? Falling asleep in the middle of a fight would be a death sentence.”

“You know that I avoid fights when I can.” Aang wrapped an arm around Katara’s waist, pulling her closer. “Nothing is going to happen.”

“But it could.” Katara hated the way her voice trembled. “I need to know what’s wrong with you. You can’t say that nothing is wrong. I can see you fading away.”

Aang looked at her with concerned eyes. “I didn’t know that you were so worried about this. I’m sorry, sweetie. Can you talk to me about it?”

Katara gave a short nod. She hadn’t told Aang about the research she’d tried to do or the depths of her fears, but informed him then. 

_I probably sound crazy, with the lengths I’ve been going to._

But Aang didn’t treat her like she was losing her mind. He nodded and agreed with her, giving her words of encouragement to continue. When she was finished, he let out a deep breath. “I see what you mean. When you lay things out like that, it’s hard not to look at the truth of it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Aang’s serious expression flitted to a smile for a quick second and he gave Katara a soft kiss. “I have the best wife in the world.”

She smiled back. “As do I.”

“You have a wife? Why didn’t you tell me?” Aang joked.

“Quiet, you know what I meant.” She nudged him playfully. “So, what should we do?”

“I’m not sure. If you couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me, I doubt any other healer will be able to.”

Katara had an idea, but hesitated to ask it. 

Aang glanced at her. “What? You’re making that face you make when you have something to say but don’t know if you should say it.”

“Do you think you could ask the other Avatars? I wasn’t able to find anything, but you can actually talk to them. They might be able to tell you what’s happening.”

“Sure, we can try.” Aang hopped out of bed fast enough that Katara let out a nervous noise, worried he would fall. He didn’t, and moved to a spot on the carpet at the foot of their bed. He sat down in a cross-legged position and closed his eyes.

“You’re doing it right now?”

“Yes. It’s not like they’ll be mad at me for waking them up. They’re spirits.”

“Oh. Okay.” Katara said. Her husband would always be Aang as a man first in her mind, but it was moments like these that reminded her he was the Avatar. Speaking as casually about communing with the spirits of his past lives as he would about asking her to pass the pepper.

She watched as his tattoos and eyes lit up, bathing their bedroom in a soft blue glow. Knowing that finding out what he needed to would take some time, she brought her knees to her chest.

_He’s listening to me. He agrees that something isn’t right. One of the old Avatars will have the answer. They have to. He has dozens of past lives._

Katara felt her eyes slipping closed, but didn’t allow herself to fall asleep. She would wait until her husband returned to this world. When he finally did, his serene expression quickly morphed into a frown.

“What?” Katara asked. “Did they tell you anything useful?”

Aang got up slowly and walked back to bed without saying anything. 

“Sweetie, talk to me.”

“I don’t want to tell you. It’s not going to make you happy.”

It was like she had been punched in the gut. Her worst fears were coming true. “Please. You have to. If they told you something, anything, maybe I can use it to find a solution.”

“That’s not going to happen.” Aang was almost as downtrodden as she’d ever seen him. 

“Tell me.” Katara attempted to put force behind her words, but they came out weak. “I’m going to feel worse if I don’t know what’s happening.”

“Okay.” Aang said. “Most of them had nothing. I went through two full cycles before one of the past water Avatars told me what she thought could be the issue. She was the best healer of her time, and maybe even the best ever.”

“What did she say?”

“The time I spent in the iceberg sped up my aging somehow. I’ve only been out in the world living for sixty-six years, but I’ve been alive for a hundred and sixty-six. That doesn’t mean good things for my body.”

“Did she tell you about a way to stop it?” 

“She said that I could slow the process with routine sessions with spirit water, but not by much.”

Katara’s anger flared. _That’s it? That can’t be it. She’s the greatest healer of all time, and she can’t find a cure? She’s undeserving of that title._

Her mind started making plans instantly, which rolled of her tongue at a breakneck speed. “Okay. We can leave for the Northern Water Tribe tomorrow. While we’re healing you with the spirit water, I’ll look in their libraries to see if there’s anything else I can do. If I don’t find anything, then I’ll improvise. We can bring-”

Aang cut her off. “There’s no way to stop it. And from what she said, we won’t be able to slow it by much.”

“So what? I’m just supposed to let you go?” Katara snapped. “I’m not going to do that. I’m never going to do that!”

“There’s nothing else that we can do.” He said to her, far too calm. “I’ll get everything in order. We don’t know how long I have. I might still be here for a while.”

“Don’t talk like that!”

“Like what?” Aang tried to clasp his hand in hers, but she pulled away.

“Like you’re already gone!” Katara rested her head on her knees, and let the tears flow. She hadn’t cried in a long time, but it failed to feel like a release. 

_How long? Months? Weeks? Days? I can’t lose him so suddenly. I can’t lose him at all._

For some reason she had always thought she would pass first, for the fact that she was older or the fact that he was the all-powerful Avatar. 

Aang held her as she sobbed, exhibiting far too much of a relaxed nature for a man who had just been informed that his death was fast approaching. 

“Aren’t you upset?” Katara asked through her choked inhales. 

“Of course I am.”

“But I’m the one crying like an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot.” Aang’s hand caressed her head softly. “I am upset.”

“You don’t seem like it.”

“Well, I’m mostly not upset for me. I’m upset for you and the kids, and everyone who I still need to help before I go. I thought I would have more time.”

“You can. This doesn’t have to be the end.” Katara mumbled weakly.

“No, but something tells me that it is.” Aang responded sadly. “I love you so much, Katara. I’ve always loved you.”

That made Katara cry harder. She thought that it would be impossible to fall asleep, but the crying had made her even more tired. She was out within a few minutes, her diligent husband’s arms still wrapped around her. 

Upon waking up the next day, Aang was gone. He’d left a note about having to deal with a problem in the city. Katara knew that he hadn’t wanted to leave, but it still pained her. 

_What if he doesn’t come back?_

He did come back, of course, and that night they told Tenzin the news. Kya and Bumi were off in different places, both of them hard to reach quickly. Much like Katara, their youngest son didn’t take the news well.

His disbelief turned into shock, and then righteous indignation.

“It’s not fair.” He repeated. “You’re so young, dad. There has to be a way to reverse this. Mom can fix it. Right, mom?”

Katara looked at Aang. His eyes were telling her to say no to their son’s question. She ignored him. “I’ll find a way to heal him.” She said, sounding far surer of herself than she felt. 

Messages went out to their family and friends around the world. Kya came home, and Bumi followed once he was granted leave from the United Forces. Sokka arrived within days, having handed his duties over to a surrogate temporarily. They hadn’t known how to contact Toph, as she’d been mostly off the grid ever since her retirement. A day after Sokka arrived, so did she, only saying that she’d heard the news. It was more difficult for Zuko to come, busy with his work as the Fire Lord, but he made the time. 

Having all their old friends reunited was strange, and for some reason, it didn’t make Katara feel much better. It meant that everyone had accepted this as Aang’s end, and were gathering to say their goodbyes. 

_I won’t let this be goodbye. I’ll fix him._

In the time it had taken for everyone to get to Air Temple Island, Aang had gotten considerably worse. It was almost as if him knowing about his approaching death had sped up the process. He would sleep for over fourteen hours at a time, and had lost much of his balance. Any trips in to the city to do Avatar business were out of the question.

Katara, as opposed to her husband, didn’t sleep. All of her time was spent scanning through ancient scrolls or next to his side. Her healing was barely doing anything to help, only lessening the pain. The spirit water she’d sent for from the North would take another few days to arrive. 

The first break she’d taken from watching him was after he’d been out for sixteen hours straight. She’d gone down to get something to eat and bathe, planning to immediately return after. Toph, Zuko, and her brother had been together in the eating area, so she’d sat with them, and they’d reminisced about the past.

“Do you remember when we first met him?” Sokka asked, smiling.

“Yeah. You thought he was a Fire Nation spy.” Katara responded.

“That’s not true. You must be remembering it wrong.” Sokka frowned. “Aang and I were best-buds from day one.”

Katara rolled her eyes.

“I remember when I first met him.” Zuko volunteered. “Though I wouldn’t say we were, erm, best-buds from day one.”

“That’s an understatement!” Sokka laughed. “I can’t even count the times you tried to kill us. Man, those were the days.”

“I’m glad I didn’t succeed.” Zuko smiled.

“Well, you might have had a chance at offing them without me.” Toph picked her tooth with a sharp looking piece of metal. “But once I joined the team, that was over. They don’t call me the greatest earthbender in the world for nothing.”

“You weren’t the greatest earthbender when we met you, though.” Sokka commented. “Aang knocked you out of the ring and took your championship in, like, three seconds!”

Toph punched him in the shoulder. Hard. “I got that championship back later. Besides, it wasn’t fair. Earth Rumble is for earthbenders and he used air. Back then, he couldn’t even move a rock.”

“He had a good teacher.” Katara murmured.

“The best.” Toph nodded. 

“I can’t believe that it was all so long ago.” Sokka said wistfully. “You all look so old now.”

Zuko narrowed his eyes. “You’re just as old as we are.”

“Yeah,” Sokka agreed. “But wouldn’t you say that I’ve aged more gracefully? I’m going to be honest with you because I’m your friend, Zuko. The beard isn’t helping.”

“Should I punch him again?” Toph asked with a hint of glee in her voice.

“Go ahead.” Zuko responded.

Sokka yelped and tried to dodge the hit, but failed. “I was just being honest!”

_I miss this. It won’t be the same without him here._ Katara caught herself. _He isn’t going anywhere. We’ll have another chance to all be together._

Ten minutes and two more punches aimed at Sokka later, Bumi came running in. “He just woke up! He says that he wants to see everyone.”

Katara shot to her feet and followed her son back to her and Aang’s room.

_I shouldn’t have taken such a long break._ She berated herself. _He woke up, and I missed it. I’m not leaving his side again until the spirit water gets here and I can start really healing him._

Aang’s face was scarily gaunt. He hadn’t lost much weight, but the bags under his eyes had somehow gotten bigger. He looked like he hadn’t slept in years. Kya, Tenzin, Pema and Lin, who must have just shown up, had already been in the room. Kya, Tenzin and Pema were speaking to each other in hushed tones while Lin stood to the side with her arms crossed.

Rushing to his side, Katara put a hand on his chest and looked to her daughter. “Has anything changed since I left?” 

“No, mom.” Kya responded in a low voice. “You weren’t gone for long.”

“Hello, Lin.” Toph greeted her daughter. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Lin ignored her and didn’t respond.

“Fine, be like that.” Toph shrugged.

“Hi, everyone.” Aang said to the assembled group in the room. “It’s so good to see you all.”

“I would say the same about you, Twinkle Toes, but y’know. I’m blind.” Toph said back.

Everyone but Lin and Katara laughed. Katara wanted to, but it was hard to find the energy to do anything but worry. This was feeling more and more like a conclusion to Aang’s life, something that she couldn’t abide by.

“Like you know, this came out of nowhere.” Aang said weakly. “I wish that I had more time to prepare everything for when I’m gone, but I’ve done the best I could.”

“You can get through this.” Tenzin said willfully.

“Maybe.” Aang coughed. It seemed he was only saying that to appease his son. He didn’t believe he had a long future ahead of him. “Zuko, I’ve spoken to you about this before vaguely, but I want you to use your connections with the White Lotus for help searching for the next Avatar. They need to be found as soon as possible. If we take too long locating them, the world will fall into chaos.”

Zuko nodded. “I will make sure that every member is alerted.”

Aang turned. “Sokka, I need your help too. The next Avatar is going to be Water Tribe, so there’s a chance that they’ll be born under your leadership.”

“If they’re born in the South, I’ll find them.” Sokka answered.

 _Why are they all acting like this? It’s not over. It can’t be._ Katara started to tear up but stopped herself. She couldn’t cry in front of her friends and her children. That would be an admission that she agreed with them about the state of her husband.

“What’s my job?” Toph asked. “Anyone you need beaten into the ground, just say the word.”

Aang smiled. “I don’t need anything like that and I don’t want to ask too much of you. I know you’ve retired. But if you can, try to keep balance in the Earth Kingdom. The new queen is inexperienced, and things are restless there.”

“You got it.” Toph replied. “Any troublemakers will get a visit from me.”

“Lin, I have no doubts that you’ll keep the city under control. You’ve never failed to do so yet. But find some time for yourself, too. I see now that memories of work aren’t the ones you look back on fondly.”

Lin frowned. “I’ll keep the city safe. You have my word.”

“Bumi, Kya, Tenzin.” Aang moved on to his children. “I love you all. You are my greatest accomplishments, and I know you will continue to make me proud. Bumi, you’re doing good work with the United Forces. I’m trusting that you’ll protect the stability of the United Republic with everything you’ve got.”

“Of course, dad.” Bumi responded quietly. 

“You’ve always been so resourceful.” Aang’s smile didn’t fade. “Keep your brother and sister safe.”

Kya and Tenzin looked skeptical at that, but Bumi simply nodded. “I will.”

“Kya.” Aang continued. “You’ve made your own path in life, and I know that you won’t stop when I’m gone. Find what makes you happy and hold onto it.”

Kya opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. Bumi put an arm around her shoulders.

“Or who makes you happy.” There was a glint in Aang’s eyes. “You know I’ve never cared about any kinds of labels. You deserve everything.”

Finally, he turned to his youngest son. Katara could see that even Tenzin had now given in to the idea that Aang was about to go. Somehow, that broke her, and she leaned into Aang, letting the tears flow. No one said anything, but it still hurt her to do that in front of them all. 

Aang put one of his arms around his wife as he addressed Tenzin. “Tenzin, my son. You’ll soon be the last of the airbenders. It’s a mantle I held for years before I had you, and it isn’t going to be easy.”

“I’ll carry on the traditions.” Tenzin said adamantly. “I won’t let you down.”

Aang nodded. “I know. If you ever decide to have children, I hope that you’ll pass my teachings onto them, airbenders or not. Someone needs to remember.” He coughed for a few moments. 

“Pema, you’ve been such a wonderful wife to my son and a valued part of our family.” Aang smiled at his daughter-in-law. “Thank you for everything.”

“I should be thanking you.” Pema said back.

Aang turned his gaze downwards to his chest, where Katara was clinging on to him.

_No. No. No. This is all happening so fast._

“Katara.” Aang said. “My wonderful, beautiful wife. You’ve been with me for so many things. I wouldn’t have chosen anyone but you to spend my life with. It was a life well spent.”

She let out a horrible choking sob. 

“When I’m gone, I know that you’ll be okay. Eventually. You always were the stronger of the two of us. You taught me how to be strong. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Katara responded.

“Once they do find my next life, I’d love it if you could teach them how to waterbend. They’ll have a head start from the beginning if they have you there to guide them.”

Katara couldn’t find her words. The most she could struggle out was, “I’m not ready for you to go.”

Aang’s voice was raspy now, and he was clearly out of breath from talking so much. “And I’m not ready to leave you. But I have to.”

“No.” Katara mumbled. “No.”

Mustering the last of his strength, Aang raised his voice so he could speak to everyone in the room. “I’m so lucky to have had you all in my life. I did think I would have longer than this, but I have no regrets about the time I did spend with each one of you. When I’m gone, know that I’m not really gone. I’ll be with you in some way.” Another cough escaped his throat, sending him into a fit of them. Katara sat up and tried to help him out of it.

Kya spoke, and her voice was unsteady. “I think he’s tired out, everyone. Let’s give him some space. We can visit again once he gets some rest.”

Each person said their individual goodbyes and filed out until it was only Aang’s immediate family. The expressions on her children’s faces were what finally did it for Katara.

_This is it. This is really it. The spirit water wouldn’t have helped him, even if it had gotten here in time. I can’t save him._

“Do you need anything, mom?” Bumi asked.

“No.” Katara responded. “I don’t-I’m okay.”

“Will you all just sit with me?” Aang asked.

They nodded.

For a while, they sat in silence, until Tenzin let out an uncharacteristic burp and Bumi started teasing him about it. Aang smiled at that, so they talked more. Their children told stories they remembered from years ago, and each one made Katara want to cry more.

She restrained herself, though, and joined in with a few stories of her and Aang’s past. Their trip through the Cave of the Two Lovers, their first kiss, and their wedding to name a few. At some point, Aang fell asleep, and they went silent again.

Katara had stopped crying by then, and could only feel empty. 

_I thought we would have more time. I never could have predicted this._

Day turned to night, and her children left the room one by one. Bumi went first, muttering something about getting some sleep. Then it was Kya, who told Katara to yell if she needed any help. The last was Tenzin, who looked reluctant to go even as he told his mother that he was going to check on his wife.

They couldn’t have known that their father would never wake from the sleep he’d slipped into. Katara could tell that he was going to pass a few minutes before it happened, but didn’t call out for anyone. 

She sat next to him as his breath slowed, and finally stopped. 

And a piece of her heart died. 

_I love you, Aang. I’ll never stop loving you._

When she did go to tell everyone of the loss, she got up from the bed slowly and carefully, keeping her steps light as she left the room. The world felt dimmer now that he was gone, and she knew that on some level, that would never change.

***

Some months later, in a hut only miles from where Katara herself had been born, a baby girl emerged and took its first breath. She cried and kicked, only stilling when she was wrapped in a warm fur and handed to her father. 

Her father held her gently and stared at her in wonder for some moments before handing her over to her mother. Her mother gave an exhausted smile.

The baby girl let out a gurgling laugh, full of light, and the cycle continued.

**Author's Note:**

> lol this hurt to write


End file.
